Hello all Sekaiichi lovers! this my first attempt at a fanfiction in like five years or something, so I'm not really sure how good it's going to be, but I just had to get it out of my system. So enjoy!

Oh and I do not own Sekaiichi hatsukoi, or any of it's wonderful characters...or well Takano would be MINE!

The Little Neko

Once upon a time, as most great stories seem to start, there lived a little Neko named Ritsu. Now this Neko did not live in the human world, but on human designated Neko Sanctuary. The sanctuary was set up some thirty years ago as a safe haven for the Neko population who had been dwindling for some years due to lack of breeding, and blatant abuse from Neko owners. It was funded by a group of Neko lovers or the NL for short, which was then changed to NS (Neko Supporters) as they had some unwelcome connotations with the former name. Their goal was to create a safe place for the Neko to live, where they wouldn't be misused or mistreated, where instead they could feel safe surrounded by their own kind. As the main goal was separation and protection from humans, the running on the sanctuary was left in the hands of the Neko themselves.

This is where Little Ritsu comes in to the sotry, his father who was more commonly known as the Mayor, pretty much ran their little community. He ran it all with an iron fist, and to some it seemed like he took too much control, but to others he was a godsend to their kind. He had set up exchange programs with companies in the city, so Neko's, if they so chose could work. He also even ran his own publishing company, although he did have a human face for the company (for marketing reasons). This meant that Little Ritsu, being the son of Mayor Onodera was taken care of quite well. He was never in want for anything, and his whole was pretty much set, he could live comfortably in a Neko existence that never once dealt with the outside world.

That was all not taking in to account the Neko's own feelings, which were somewhat bored with the world around him. Ritsu wanted to see more of the world, he wanted a taste of what life was like where the humans where, a world where emotions weren't betrayed by their ears. He dreamed that one day he would be able to go the human city that he could bask in the excitement of the lights and sounds.

"What excitement!" he sighed as the Neko leant his back upon the wall, right next to the face of a very intense looking male author. The poster was one of the Neko's most prized possessions, he had found it by accident while walking along the border, and figured one of the exchangers had dropped it. The Neko dreamed of seeing a human like the one of the poster, his little beat faster just imagining what it would be like.

In fact the little Neko, treasured everything in the room, from the mountain of books he had taken from his father's confiscation office. Books which were filled with wonderful stories about humans that made the little Neko long for a world where such adventures could occur; for he was sure that he was able to go to the human world, that somehow they would happen for him too.

Seemingly unable to take the never-ending humdrum of his daily life, in a rare spot of spontaneity, the Little Neko did something he never thought in his life he would do. He smuggled on board the exchange bus into the city. Curling him underneath with all the various bags and umbrellas, far into a corner where no one would be able to spot him. As the bus began to move his face flushed with excitement, the Little Neko hardly able to contain himself. The words kept playing over and over in his head, his tail swishing faster and faster every time, he was going to see the human city.

The ride into the city, though not terribly comfortable for the Little Neko, was the most exciting of his life, even if he knew he would only glimpse the world outside for a moment. Every bump and turn just reiterated the fact that he was getting closer to something he had dreamed since he had first learnt about the world outside, since he had heard the first story told him by his mother. There was nothing in his life that could ever be more exciting than what he was doing now, and he knew that no one would ever know; after all it was only a glimpse.

The Neko's body was shivering in excitement, his tail unable to stay still was moving frantically, and as the bus began to slow, and then jolt ever so slightly as it stopped, the pounding in his heart became deafening drowning out every other sound. This was the moment he had been waiting for, it had finally come.

Grabbing his tail in his hands he readied himself for the door to be opened, holding his breath, and praying to god that he wouldn't be discovered.

The seconds seemed to be going by incredibly slow, as he waited for the sound of the bus driver, for the click of the doors being opened, and the arrival of his first glance into the city. Then he heard voices, and he knew that it was coming.

"Now remember, the bus will leave at seven on the dot, please make sure you come back in time." Came the voice of the bus driver.

Babump, babump when the little Neko's heart, as he knew they were close. Babump, babump, it went again as he heard the familiar click. Babump, babump, as they slowly began to open...and then there was only the stunned silence of a world the little Neko had always dreamed of.

Now he hadn't planned to do anything more than look, but as his eyes soaked in the world outside of the bus. As the sounds flowed into his furry brown ears, he couldn't control his desire to see more, the need completely took over his body, and before he was aware what he was doing he was standing on the sidewalk a few metres from the bus. The Little Neko had somehow managed to manoeuvre his way around all the other Neko's without being seen.

Exhilaration washed over him, as he realised that he was standing in the human city, that he was actually somewhere he had only ever read of in books. Squeezing his tail between his little hands he began to walk the streets moving as fast as his little legs would take him, ready to take in everything around; ready to experience everything this new and exciting world had to offer him.

"Uwaaahh!" the little Neko exclaimed, as he came across something he had never seen in his life, except for on the poster of the purple eyed author.

There where humans.

There were a lot of humans.

There were so many humans, that the little Neko had no idea where to look first.

This was something he had never even imagined before, never in his life had he thought he would see so many humans all in one place. In truth he had never even seen a human in real life before, and he found it far more amazing than he thought he would. They didn't have tails, or ears. Holding tighter to his tail, the little Neko took a few cautious steps forward, not noticing the looks he was getting the humans who where passing him by. There was nothing more awe inspiring than what he was witnessing with his own eyes, then what he was hearing with his ears, and although this city stunk, and made his nose twitch, even that was amazing to Ritsu.

The sights and sounds led the Neko further into the city, his feet taking charge as his mind was so full of everything around him. There was no time to think about anything, as soon as he would start, something else more fascinating would catch his eye, and then he would be onto that.

After a few hours of wandering however, he came upon something which he immediately deemed as the most amazing thing he would ever see in his life. The smell of pastry had him following a man into a building, his nose filled with the delicious scent hadn't let him realise what he had done, and by the time he had his eyes had widened in shock. All around where rows and rows of...books.

There had never been anything more beautiful to him, nothing that he had seen so far that could compare to the books surrounding him. Of course he had heard of libraries before, and they even had one back in the Sanctuary, but they where only books his father's company produced. There was nothing but Neko friendly literature. This was human literature, and there was ten times as many books here than in their provincial library.

Without hesitation he began to walk down the aisle, his fingers gently running over the books, the smell making his face light up. There was nothing quite like the smell of books, it smelled like adventure and home all at the time, it made his heart pound and his chest to purr ever so slightly.

Closing his eyes, and truly absorbing himself in the smell and feel, his feet moving ever so softly upon the ground. It never even occurred to him that their where others around him, or that they where human and not Neko. His ears had tuned out ever sound other then the beating of his heart, slight pit pat of his moving feet, and the swish of his tail. There was nothing quite so...

BANG!

Green eyes snapped open, as he felt weightless of a second, before landing hard on his bottom, thankfully not crushing his tail.

In his daze the Little Neko had not noticed the table in front of him, and had not seen the boy sleeping at said table. Now, as the Neko rubbed his bruised bottom, and began to rise of the floor, he was stopped suddenly by a fluttering in his chest. His eyes widened and he felt himself unable to look away.

The human sitting at the table with his head resting on folded arms was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had seen. Even far more beautiful than the books, the Little Neko conceded, as he crawled on his knees, till his green eyes peeped over the top of the table at the still sleeping human.

An urge ran through the Neko's body, one that he had never felt before, and before he realised what he was doing his little hand had reached out to toward he human. There had never been a time in his life when he had wanted to touch another being, like he wanted t touch the sleeping human. His fingers just in reach, and barely grazing over one of the boy's arms, suddenly shot back as the boy shifted slightly at the touch.

The now trembling Neko, ducked below the table hiding his burning face, he could have sworn that he was going to get caught by the human. Shakily he put a hand over his heart, waiting for the pounding to slow, before he turned slightly on his knees, and hands first lifted his head up to table level, cautiously glancing over the top.

Instead of calming down however, as the little Neko glanced at the boy before him, his heart began to pound far more furiously, and the fluttering came back. The fluttering was making it hard for the little Neko to think, his merely kneeled there gazing at the human boy, hid face flushed a deep shade of red, and a light brown tail swishing dreamily behind him.

The Little Neko, so entranced by the human, that he didn't even notice the passing of time, or the curious stares he got from other patrons of the library. He was merely struck in his own little world, a world that only saw one thing, until a soft voice whispered to the Little Neko.

"We will be closing in a few minutes."

The Little Neko's ears twitched forward as he was brought out of his daze, and he took in the words of the kind, pretty librarian next to him.

"Uwaaahh!" he let out as he realised that outside the windows of the library the sky was much darker then when he had come in. "what's the time?"

The librarian smiling at the flustered Neko pointed to the watch on her wrist. "Getting close to seven." She replied. "It's a bit late for a Kitten such yourself to be out."

Taking this in the Little Neko drew back with surprise, he had been here much longer then he had planned. Thanking the librarian he jolted up from his position, ignoring the tingling in his legs and ran towards the door, hoping that he would not be late. If the Ritsu missed the bus, he knew that he would be in big trouble.

He raced out of the room, not noticing that this motion had stirred the sleeping boy, who as he opened his eyes, noticed a light brown tail swishing around a corner.

In too much of a panic, to notice anything other than his pound feet as he ran down the sidewalk, hoping that he was heading in the right direction, the Little Neko for the time being didn't think of the boy. It wasn't until he thankfully reached the bus pick-up zone, just in time to quickly dive underneath, did his thoughts turn back to his day.

Although he had almost been late, and could have been in big trouble the little Neko could only think, that he really wanted to see the human again. The human who made his heart beat faster, who created that wonderful fluttering, who made hum want to reach and touch him. As he lay there among the bags and umbrellas, little Ritsu's thoughts where completely consumed with being able to see that most magnificent human boy again.

Okay, so this idea if you haven't noticed actually came to me when I was thinking of adapting a fairytale, and may not be obvious but follows the story of The Little Mermaid (both the disney, and the original). And of course I used SIH to do this, as there was no way I could not use Takano...his voice in the anime just does something to me, I especially love it when he says 'huh', which as he says it so often I have turned it into a drinking game : ) seriously I dare someone to try it.

Anyway, please review, and tell if I made mistakes, because I was far to excited after wirting it to read through it properly.

mwah!